Ball-bearing lock for doors and gates.



F. ZIGANEK. BALL BEARING LOCK FOR DOORS vANI) GATES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7,1909.

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EEEDINAND ZIGANEK, 0E CLEVELAND, omo, AssrGNoR or ONE-THIRD To JOHN H. soHULTEAND ONE-THIRD To JOSEPH scHULTE, orl CLEVELAND, omo.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

'Patented Feb. s, 1910.

Application led September 7, 1909. Serial No. 516,520.

To all whom tt lmay concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND ZIGANEK, subject of Austria, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Bearing Locks for Doors and Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a ball bearing lock for doors and gates, and the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out'in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross sectlon on line Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 shows a sectional side view of the invention with two balls or bearing points, and a locking bolt combined therewith.

The essential idea herein is to provide a l ball bearing lock or latch for doors and gates which is adapted to engage and hold the gat-e or door and yet leavel it free to rer spond to a push or pull to open and close the same without handling the l-atch or catch for this purpose.

The invention therefore comprises a ball l5, one or more, a backing plunger I having a substantially cup shaped head 2 provided with projections 3 here and there on its concave engaging surface to reduce the area of contact with the ball to the minimum, an adjustable stirrup C in which the stems of the plunger are slidably' engaged, a late D having openings through which t e said balls are adapted to project to approximately their middle or meridian portion, and springs S about said plungers or stems bearing against said heads 2 at one end and said stirrup C at the other and adapted to keep balls B in seating but yieldin position. On the op osite side the casing has cavities 4 into w lich the balls are adapted to project through holes in plate F a distance sufficient to cause or produce a latching and locking eil'ectbut such as will allow disengagement or opening by the requisite pressure upon the moving member whether it be the one that carries the balls or the opposite one, and the balls may be in either member.

In the presentl views the casing G represents the permanent member or casing and I-I the door.

Now it-is desirable to have means for adjusting the tension of springs S when they become slack o`r need strengthening for the conditions under which the device works. To these ends I have mounted the stirrup or frame C which supports the ends of the plunger spindles in a recess 6 in the door and support the same slidably therein in respect to plate D with which the extremities 7 of the stirrup are engaged by adjusting screws 8. The said extremities 7 are disposed parallel to plate D and the said screws have threaded engagement in screw holes in said extremities and carry check nuts 9 on their inner ends, and are freely rotatable in plate D by a screw driver or the like to draw the stirrup against the springs and tighten them.

The invention is equally adaptable to doors or the like whether they be'hingedor slidin and up to this point of the description t e locking effect of the balls is of a yielding nature. However a permanent locking of the balls in plate F may also be obtained by means of a slidable bolt J, either round or rectangular in cross section, and which is operatively controlled by a key (not shown) when inserted through keyhole K in door H. Thus, bolt J extends through both plate D and stirrup C and is adapted to enter 'amb plate vF to supplement the locking e ect of balls B when xed plate L at the rear of bolt J comes into abutting and locking relation with the rear ends of plungers. or stems P, as shown in Fig. 2, and as brought about by a turn of the key. Bolt J is in turn locked, both when in'and` when out, by a latch plate M hinged or pivoted to cross pin N of casing 0, and which plate is spring pressed by sprlng R to keep itsdownwardly turned end 10 in either one or the other of the two notches 12 in the top edge of bolt J. Latch M has a depending side portion 14 which is adapted to be engaged by the key when initially rotated and whereby the latch is lifted free of bolt J to permit operation thereof by the key when fully rotated.

What I claim is:

1. In ball bearin locks for doors and the like, a ball and a pIunger bearing thereon, a spiral sprin about said plunger and apart through which said plunger extends engaged by said spring and adapted to be adjusted to increase or decrease tension thereof.

2. In ball bearing locks for doors and the like, a casin having a recess, and a ball bearing mechanism mounted therein comprising a front plate and a ball exleuding through the same, a plunger with a eoneave head bearing'on said ball, a stirrup into which the opposite end of the plunger projects, a spring about said plunger' engaging said stirrup and adjusting srrews connecting the ends of said stirrup wit-h said plate, whereb)7 the tension of the spring can be changed.

3. In ball bearing locks for doors, a ball and a slidable seating plunger therefor, a spring for said plunger. an adjustable backing member for said spring to take up tension therein, and a lock for said plunger to hold said ball and plunger against inward movement'. Y

4. In ball bearing locks for doors, a plu rality of balls and a seating plate therefor, barking plungers for said balls, springs for said plungers, and a stirrup member adapted to support said plungers and Confine said .i partially springs thereon `and means to adjust said stirrup member in respect to said ball seating plate to increase or decrease the tension of the said springs.

In ball bearinglor-ks for doors, a plurality of balls and a seating plate therefor, slidable backing plungers for said balls, springs for said plungers, and a stirrup member t0 support said plungers and confine said springs, in combination with a slidable bolt` mounted intermediate. said plungers and parallel therewith and having engaging portions for said plungers to lock inward more- -Inent thereof when said bolt is in locking position.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature inpresence of 'two witnesses.

FERDINAND ZIGANEK. IVitnesses:

E. M. FISHER, JOHN H. SCHULTE. 

